


For Victoire

by protectoroffaeries



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adventure, Dark Magic, F/F, F/M, Harry Potter Next Generation, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Spoilers, Hogwarts Fifth Year, Kidnapping, M/M, Post Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Scorpius is a precious cinnamon roll but also oblivious
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-16
Updated: 2016-09-15
Packaged: 2018-08-09 05:53:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7789198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/protectoroffaeries/pseuds/protectoroffaeries
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Victoire Lupin is missing. </p>
<p>Though Albus is skeptical about getting involved at first, Victoire is family. He's certain if anyone has the brain power to figure out what happened to her, where she is, and why, it's Scorpius, and if anyone can concoct a stupidly brilliant enough plan to bring her home, it's himself. </p>
<p>But returning to Hogwarts brings its own set of problems - drama, violence, and the ever invasive eyes of those who want to stop Albus and Scorpius from helping Victoire, either for their own good... or reasons more nefarious...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lupin Misfortune

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first longfic for the Harry Potter fandom, and I am very excited about it! First of all, Scorpius and Albus are my endgame, so if you're here because you saw Scorpius and Rose together in the tags, that won't be the ship that makes it to the end. 
> 
> Second, there are a lot of minor OCs in this because we don't know a lot about this generation of Hogwarts students outside of the Weasley extended family. 
> 
> Third, the majority of this story is from Albus' perspective (in a third person limited way), but this first chapter is from the point of view of everyone's favorite badass momma bear, Molly Weasley. 
> 
> Fourth, I hope to update this on a weekly schedule ~ however, I haven't decided on a definite weekday yet. I'm thinking Monday or Tuesday, but I don't know how that'll pan out. 
> 
> And lastly, kudos and comments are welcome! Questions and constructive criticisms are welcome! Gushing about Scorpius Malfoy is a-dork-able is always welcome and strongly encouraged. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy the story!

Molly Weasley woke early. It wasn’t necessary for her morning plans, as all that was on her schedule was making breakfast for the youngest of her grandchildren. They were teenagers now, which made Molly feel quite old, and they wouldn’t be up until 10:00 or 11:00. That meant that she could’ve gotten out of bed at around 9:00 and had everything ready and on the table by the time they trickled downstairs. 

However, Molly woke up at 6:30 and went downstairs within the half hour, leaving her husband behind in bed. Arthur was enjoying his retirement the same way their grandchildren were enjoying the summer - by sleeping all the time. Molly thought she’d lose her mind if she laid around her bed all day. Perhaps that was why she woke early, then, even if she didn’t have as much to do as she once did. 

She went down to the living room and gathered her knitting supplies. Her famous Christmas sweaters weren’t going to knit themselves, and though it was only July, her family was far larger than it once was. Molly hummed a bit of  _ You Charmed the Heart Right Out of Me _ , an old favorite of hers, and grabbed a small ball of red yarn. She worked on Ginny’s sweater and finished an arm before she needed to go start on the bacon. 

As she was flipping bacon and waving her wand to get the ingredients for waffles, there came a knocking at the door. Molly frowned, and a quick wave of her wand revealed that the time was 8:20. No one usually came around until noon at the earliest.

Molly walked over to the door and opened it to find a rather disheveled Teddy Lupin on her doorstep. Her dear grandson-in-law was mess - bright blue hair unbrushed, shoes untied, robes thrown on haphazardly. 

“Teddy, come in,” she ordered, and Teddy brushed past her with a poorly concealed burst of nervous energy. His odd behavior sent a foreboding chill over Molly. He stood in her kitchen and raked his hand through his hair so hard that Molly thought he might just rip a chunk of it out. She herded him to the table before he could do that. 

“What’s wrong, dear?” she asked.

“It’s Victoire.” Molly tensed at the mention of her eldest granddaughter. She and Teddy were married now, and Molly had noticed her absence when she saw him at the door. She just didn’t want to think that a problem with her was the reason that Teddy was so distraught. 

“What about Victoire? Are you two fighting?” Molly couldn’t imagine that being the issue, but what else could it be?

Teddy shook his head. “No. She’s gone. I… think she’s been kidnapped.”

“Kidnapped?” repeated Molly, filled with shock and dread. 

“I worked through the night, and when I got home this morning, our apartment was trashed, and she was gone. Her wand was left - broken.” Teddy collapsed into a chair and buried his face in his hands. 

Molly was flooded with worry and trepidation, but she managed to ask, “Did you tell Harry?” 

Teddy held up a Muggle invention that she saw in her grandchildren’s hands all the time these days - a cell phone. “I called him on my way over here,” he said. “He told me that he would have the Aurors look into it and see if any Dark magic was involved.”

“Do you think so?” Molly hadn’t heard much about Dark magic since the end of the war, but perhaps she’d been intentionally tuning that out. Could there be a new Dark wizard about?

“Yeah, Molly,” Teddy said with a sigh. “Yeah, I do.” 

Molly was about to ask him why he thought that, but Lily came down the stairs rubbing her eyes at precisely that moment. She gave Teddy a look that told him not to worry Lily with his news, and he nodded. 

“Hey, Lils,” he greeted instead. 

“Teddy!” She ran up to hug him, suddenly awake. Though she often played the part of an aloof teenager, she still adored Teddy. She had since she was very young, and she affectionately referred to him as her favorite brother. James and Albus both declared that they were perfectly fine with that assessment. 

“Where’s Victoire?” she asked. Molly’s heart melted. She would be so devastated when she found out… 

“Not around today.” Teddy gave Molly a sideways glance, as if to say  _ they’ll find out eventually _ . Molly pretended she didn’t see it. In her opinion, it wasn’t something for a thirteen year old girl to have to worry about, and she would keep Lily from doing just that for as long as she could. 

Lily looked between them, but if she thought they were acting strange, she didn’t comment. Instead, she asked, “Oh. Well, what’s for breakfast?”

“Bacon and waffles,” Molly answered. Lily went over to the stove and plucked a thick piece of bacon straight out of the frying pan.

“Lily Luna, don’t do that,” Molly admonished. “You’ll burn yourself.”

Lily rolled her eyes. “It figures.”

“What’s that meant to mean?” Teddy said, and Molly was certain that if his wife weren’t missing, the question would’ve been edged with amusement. 

“Albus travels through time with his boyfriend, and he gets parental affection, whereas I eat a piece of bacon out the pan, and I get yelled at. Typical, really.”

Molly blinked. She hadn’t heard Lily mention her brother’s escapades all summer, and now she was bringing it up over some bacon? When Molly was simply looking out for her? “Lily, I believe you heard me yell at Albus as soon as he arrived,” she said.

Lily made a noncommittal noise and wandered out of the kitchen. 

Teddy frowned. “Is Scorpius Malfoy really Albus’ boyfriend?” Before Molly could respond, Teddy added, “You know what? I don’t even want to know. I’m going back to the apartment so I can be there when the Aurors arrive. I’ll fire-call you if there’s any news, Molly.”

“Alright, dear,” Molly said because what else could she say? “If you need a place to stay, you’re always welcome here.”

“Thanks.” Teddy gave her the smallest, saddest smile she’d ever seen. She pecked him on the cheek, and he was out the door as quick as he’d come. 

Molly sighed, sitting down in the chair Teddy had just vacated. She supposed he hadn’t told Bill and Fleur yet, probably didn’t know how to face them. At times, Bill could be rather hard on him, but Molly knew that he was just looking out for Victoire, and that he really did like Teddy. All the same… it was probably best if Molly called them. 

She went over to the fireplace, and after checking that Lily wasn’t around to ask any questions, she grabbed a handful of Floo powder. 

The bacon burned in the pan. 

  
  
  



	2. Family Sucks

A pillow smacked him in the face. What a way to start a morning. Albus Potter groaned and rolled over, but the pillow just hit him again, this time on the back of the head. He stuck his hand out, blindly flipping the bird to whoever was behind the pillow. The pillow struck his hand in retaliation, and Albus finally opened his eyes. 

“What the fuck?” he grumbled. He saw a flash of red hair, and then his sister was in his face. Her eyes were wide, and she raised the pillow, a big purple thing with feathers falling out of it, once more. She brought it down the side of his head. 

“Lily! What the fuck?” he shouted, sitting up and grabbing at her arm. She struggled, attempting to hold the purple pillow out of his reach, but Albus’ arms were longer. He wrenched it from her grasp and threw it across the room. It slammed against the window, which swung open, and then the poor pillow was plummeting from the Burrow. 

“Gram’s going to be pissed,” commented Lily without remorse.

“I’ll tell her you were trying to murder me with it. What do you want, Lily?” he seethed, gritting the question out from between his teeth. 

“Victoire’s missing,” she said. 

“What?” Albus’ anger dissipated, replaced, at least for the moment, with confusion. 

“I heard Teddy tell Gram about it this morning. He thinks Dark magic was involved.”

“And you’re telling me this because?”

Lily looked at him like her reasoning should be obvious, but when Albus didn’t catch on, she sighed dramatically. “Because we have to find her.”

“We have to?” Albus said skeptically. “I’m sure the Aurors will do that. Dad’s probably already on it.”

“Oh come on, you’re the boy who wiped yourself from existence in an attempt to save a guy you didn’t even know,” she said. “Surely you’d be willing to risk your life for your own flesh and blood.”

Albus looked around the room and noticed that neither their brother nor their cousins were present and realized that Lily actually meant for him and her alone to go searching for Victoire. Albus was tempted, he really was. Lily had a point; Victoire was family… but he didn’t want to put his sister at risk, and honestly, he’d quite learned his lesson about sticking himself into life or death situations. His father did so because he had to - but Albus and Lily Potter were not Harry Potter. 

“Yes, I wiped you and I and our brother from existence, and I failed that foolishly heroic attempt to save someone. I wouldn’t like to see the consequences of us getting involved and failing to help Victoire. Plus, I’m sure Teddy already called Dad.”

“Al, really? You’ll risk everything for Cedric Diggory but not for Victoire Lupin?” Lily’s voice raised to a ridiculously high pitch as she spoke.

“I was stupid to risk everything for Diggory! I almost lost everything! I wiped us from existence! I created a world ruled by Voldemort! And…”

“And what?” Lily spat, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Scorpius got hurt,” Albus finished weakly. 

“Of bloody course- You know what? Your boyfriend won’t even be involved in this, so you don’t have to worry about him.”

Albus stood up, towering over Lily now. She didn’t back down, glaring up at him with her arms still crossed. Albus kept his fists clenched at his side, holding them so tightly that his knuckles were probably going white. I will not punch my sister. I will not punch my sister. “Scorpius isn’t my boyfriend, and we are not going after Victoire. Dad and the other Aurors will handle it.”

Lily’s lip quivered and tears welled in her eyes, but she didn’t cry. “I hate you,” she spat. “And if Victoire isn’t perfectly fine when they find her, I’ll never forgive you.” She stormed out of the room, the epitome of teenage drama.

It wasn’t that Albus didn’t want to help Victoire. He did. He truly did. And if he thought he could manage it on his own without risking anyone he cared about, he’d go after her in a heartbeat. But he also knew that if he meddled, he could end up getting Victoire hurt or killed. He would never be able to forgive himself if that happened. 

“Sorry, Lily,” he muttered under his breath, and then he went to get dressed for the day. 

***

When he made his way downstair, it was immediately apparent that Gram hadn’t shared the news about Victoire with any of her grandchildren. She probably hadn’t meant to share it with Lily, but Albus knew his sister had a penchant for eavesdropping. 

Louis, Victoire’s younger brother, was chatting with James and Fred about Quidditch when he walked into the living room. From the sounds of it, they were arguing about who would win the World Cup this year. Albus bypassed them, uninterested. He hadn’t been interested in Quidditch since before he went to Hogwarts, when he thought that maybe he’d love the sport, like the rest of the family.

Lucy and Roxanne were playing Wizard’s Chess. Albus paused to watch Lucy’s Queen carry Roxanne’s Knight off the board. Roxanne swore, sounding fairly pissed. Albus chuckled, and both of his cousins looked up at him. 

Lucy smiled, brushing her brown hair over her shoulder. She was a year older than Albus, two years older than Roxanne, but she was usually so soft spoken that she didn’t carry the authority that the older cousins did. Wizard’s Chess was her element, though. She was definitely the best player in the family. Albus wasn’t sure why Roxanne bothered to play against her. 

“Hey Albus,” Roxanne greeted. 

“Hey. How’d Lucy get you to play?” 

“She twisted my arm,” Roxanne said, but she didn’t elaborate. Instead she said, “Rose said that we should send you her way if we saw you. She’s out back.”

“Okay,” Albus was a tad confused by that. Rose didn’t like to spend much time with him. He was kind of the black sheep of the family at this point, especially since becoming a Slytherin, and she took that more seriously than the rest. “Where are Hugo and Lily?”

Roxanne shrugged, and when he looked over at Lucy, she did the same. Albus left them to their chess game and went out back. He looked around, but he didn’t see Rose, so he looked up. And lo and behold, there she was, flying around on her broom. He waved to her, and she landed in front of him. 

“You were looking for me,” Albus deadpanned. 

“Yeah,” said Rose. “I wanted to ask you something.”

“Well, here I am,” he said, a touch impatient. 

“Are you, um, you know, interested in Scorpius?”

“What does that matter to you?” Albus said, brisling. First Lily’s teasing, and now this? Albus wished that his family would let him and Scorpius be, like they used to.

“Well, I just figured that when we get back to school, Scorpius will probably ask me out again, and I wanted to make sure that you weren’t, you know, interested, before I say yes,” Rose explained rather awkwardly. 

Albus felt a flash of frustration run through him. “You’re going to say yes to him? Why the hell would you do that?” Rose didn’t like Scorpius - when she hadn’t been ignoring him, she was being mean to him. She’d rejected him multiple times, but Scorpius just wouldn’t give up. Albus really wished that he’d done a better job encouraging him to move on. 

“Because I like him,” Rose said with a puzzled blink. Like she hadn’t accused Scorpius of being Voldemort’s son in her very first conversation with him. 

“You don’t even know him!” Albus shouted.

Rose took a step back and put her free hand up in a placating gesture. Her broomstick was in her other hand. “I thought you said you weren’t interested in him.”

“I’m not - Rose, he’s my best friend! I’m not going to let you break his heart because you and your friends want a laugh!”

“It’s not like that!”

“The hell it is!”

“Merlin, you two are loud,” came a voice, and Albus and Rose looked over to see Hugo leaning against the side of the Burrow. Lily was standing next to him, but it was clearly Hugo that had spoken. 

“How long have you been standing there?” Rose demanded indignantly. She sounded like her mother, and that wasn’t exactly a compliment.

“Long enough to hear that you’d like to date Scorpius Malfoy,” Hugo said. “What will Dad say?” He grinned. 

Rose’s face twisted with anger. “Hugo! Don’t you dare say a word to Mum and Dad about this!”

“It’s kind of weird that you feel the need to ask for Albus’ blessing and not that of our parents.”

“Scorpius is already Albus’ boyfriend, Hugo,” Lily said bitterly without missing a beat. 

“I am so fucking done with this family,” said Albus. It wasn’t even noon yet, and he wanted to run away. If it weren’t the last week of summer, he would owl Scorpius and ask if he could go to the Manor. Sure, his sister and cousin would talk about it, but at least Albus wouldn’t have to hear it. As it was, he just thundered back into the Burrow, slamming the door after he stepped inside. 

Lucy and Roxanne looked up from their game to give him questioning looks, but he ignored them. He rushed past the older boys before they could realize something was wrong with him and ran upstairs. He shared the bedroom with the other boys, so he headed for the bathroom instead. Albus turned the lock a bit harder than was necessary, and then he sat down on the edge of the sink counter. 

This day was already a mess. Victoire was missing. Lily hated him. Rose decided she wanted to date his best friend. He sighed. If he was going to think about any those things, he would need a shower first. Albus pulled his shirt over his head and turned on the water. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said I was going to update weekly but... Albus isn't the only one done with his family today.
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	3. New Beginnings

September 1st wasn’t historically a fun day for Albus. He always fought with his father before he left for Hogwarts, except for first year, when he was too worried about being different to do much more than nod and listen to Dad talk about how he was named after some dead people. Albus didn’t quite find Severus Snape and Albus Dumbledore to be as great as his father made them out to be, although he had to admit that Snape’s dedication was admirable. And… Dumbledore did plenty of good things, too, Albus was sure. (Leaving his father with the Dursleys, though, wasn’t one of them.)

“Albus, come on, now,” Mum said, pulling him from his thoughts, “through the barrier.” Albus followed his brother and sister through the barrier, pushing his trolley ahead of him. His ferret, Avocado, made a chirping noise. Avocado didn’t much like the sensation of going through the barrier. He complained about it every year. 

“Calm down, Avocado,” he admonished, and the ferret settled, curling into a ball in his cage. Albus got Avocado when he was eleven, a few months before he went to Hogwarts for the first time - hence the questionable name. His brother had an owl, and his sister had a lizard, but he’d picked out the ferret. Uncle Ron sometimes called Albus’ ferret Malfoy, after Scorpius’ father, Draco Malfoy. Albus had been puzzled by this until his father explained the story of how Draco Malfoy was transfigured into a white ferret when they were in school, and how apparently Avocado resembled Draco’s ferret form. 

There was a round of goodbyes when they got to the train. Mum hugged all of them, even big, bad seventh year James, who looked around awkwardly while she hugged him. Dad wasn’t quite so affectionate, but he had a big smile plastered on his face. It felt a bit… fake, but Albus didn’t think it was because of anything to do with him, James, and Lily. He was probably worried about Victoire. Albus knew the feeling. 

Lily hadn’t talked directly to Albus all week, ever since their argument about whether or not they should go and search for Victoire on their own. She would probably keep it up for a long time. It wouldn’t be hard, considering they rarely saw each other once they were at school. 

After Mum said goodbye to her heart’s content and wished them luck for the new school year, and Dad told them not to get into too much trouble, Albus headed for the train. James and Lily both broke off to find their own groups of friends. 

Albus levitated his trunk behind him and carried only Avocado’s cage in his hands. He made his way down the train to the compartment that he and Scorpius shared every year. His trunk went over the head of a wide eyed first year who looked completely astonished by the display. Must’ve been a Muggleborn. 

Scorpius was already in the compartment, and for some reason, he was smiling brightly. “Hey Albus,” he greeted, and then he looked at the cage in Albus’ hands and said, “Hi Avocado.” 

“Hey Scorpius. What’s with the crazy grin?”

“I just saw Rose. She was on her way to the Prefect’s compartment,” Scorpius began, and Albus’ stomach dropped. No. There was no way. They weren’t even at school yet, surely Scorpius hadn’t already… “I asked her out again.”

“You did?” Albus said faintly. 

“She said yes! Can you believe it? We’re going to Hogsmeade together the weekend after next!” Scorpius looked so excited that Albus tried to muster a smile. He didn’t want to damper his friend’s enthusiasm, but he was absolutely going to murder his bloody cousin. 

“That’s… great, Scorpius.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, it’s not - my cousin Victoire is missing,” Albus said quickly. And then he wanted to smack himself. He hadn’t meant to share that. Gram told the rest of his cousins (and his brother) the day after Lily overheard Gram and Teddy talking, but as far as Albus was aware, only family was supposed to know at this point. 

Scorpius gasped, his hand going to his mouth. “How long has she been missing?”

“A week.”

Scorpius’ face turned very sad. Albus knew that the more time that passed since someone had gone missing, especially when they were kidnapped (which, according to Teddy, was probably what happened), the less likely they were to be found alive. 

“I’m sorry, Albus. If I’d known... “

“What could you have done?” 

Scorpius shrugged, looking lost. Then he gave a small smile and said, “Well, I wouldn’t have asked Rose out, for one.”

“Too late,” he grumbled, and then he was surprised by how bitter he sounded. Scorpius frowned at him, but didn’t say anything. They both sat down, next each other as usual. 

Scorpius offered him a Chocolate Wand, and Albus nibbled on it as the train pulled out of the station. They didn’t talk much during the ride, but then, they didn’t have to. Eventually Scorpius fell asleep, and his head sank down onto Albus’ shoulder. 

Albus idly watched him. The rise and fall of his chest, the little twitches of his face. Was it weird to watch his friend sleep? Probably, but it wasn’t like Albus had anything better to do. He’d already been looking out the window at the countryside for a good hour and a half. 

Then Rose burst into their compartment, and the sound of the door opening coupled with her boisterous greeting ruined Scorpius’ nap. He jerked awake, and when he registered that she was in front of him, he panicked and ended up on the floor. This whole comical ordeal happened in a matter of seconds. Albus probably would’ve laugh if he wasn’t too busy being irritated by Rose’s presence. 

“What are you doing here?” demanded Albus. “You always sit with your friends.”

“Oh, well, I did bring a friend.” She stepped into the compartment, and then her friend followed suit. A Gryffindor girl with rectangular red glasses framing big hazel eyes, Albus was pretty sure her name was Annie. She’d hung out with Rose since they started at Hogwarts, but since Albus didn’t normally interact with Rose during the school year, he didn’t know her friends very well. The two of them sat down opposite of him and Scorpius. 

“I thought you had a Prefects meeting,” Albus said. 

“It’s over. Annie, have you ever been properly introduced to my cousin?” Without waiting for an answer, she continued, “Annie, this is Albus Potter; Albus, this is Annie Zabini.”

“Pleasure,” Annie said, holding out her hand. Albus shook it awkwardly. 

“And you already know Scorpius?” Rose said, and from her tone, Albus knew that she already knew the answer to her question. How Annie and Scorpius knew each other, though, Albus didn’t know.

“Yes.”

“Our fathers are… acquaintances,” Scorpius said hesitantly when Albus gave him a questioning look. Albus was positive there was more to the story than that, but he would wait until later to ask about it. 

“So, you two are going on a date in a couple weeks?” Annie said, looking between Rose and Scorpius. It was obvious that she didn’t want to talk about their fathers, either. 

“Yeah,” Scorpius said, a dopey grin spreading across his face. 

A skeptical expression came over Annie’s face. “Rose, you know this is the same boy you’ve been complaining about for four years?”

Scorpius’ happy expression dropped a bit at that, but Albus was secretly grateful that someone else had said it. Annie caught his eye, and he gave her a faint nod. She smiled. 

“Well… I think maybe I was too quick to judge him,” Rose admitted. She looked like she’d just swallowed a lemon whole - which said something about how difficult it was for her to recognize her mistakes. She was definitely too quick to judge him - and if Scorpius weren’t so blindsided by his feelings, he, well, actually he probably still would let her get away with that. Scorpius wasn’t exactly confrontational. But at least then Albus would be allowed to give her hell for being a bitch if Scorpius wasn’t mad for her.

“And whatever made you reconsider your judgement?” asked Annie wryly. 

Rose shrugged. “I was unfair. Scorpius is sweet,” she said, making eyes at him. Scorpius, in turn, looked appropriately smitten. Albus barely resisted the urge to mime vomiting. Barely. 

But Annie’s question got Albus thinking. What had changed Rose’s mind? She’d seemed as adverse to Scorpius as ever… right up until she’d asked if Albus was interested a week ago?

Albus narrowed his eyes at his cousin. If she was anything less than sincere in her newfound affection for Scorpius, she would have to deal with Albus. And Albus was not the shy, stuttering boy he once was. For Rose’s sake, he hoped she realized all of that.


	4. House Pride

There was a rumor among the other three Houses that the Slytherin Dungeon was unpersonable and cold, garish and archaic. The truth was, while the Dungeon could probably use a decor update, it was actually a very inviting space. The thick dungeon walls kept the room rather cozy come winter, and the greenish glow cast over the room made it considerably easier to convince people that one was ill when they didn’t want to talk or go to class. Not to mention that the windows peered directly into the lake, which caused many strange and unique creatures to come up and take a look at the Slytherins. Albus was pretty sure Scorpius was on a first name basis with the giant squid by now. 

The Dungeon was filled with lavish emerald couches and tables that were probably constructed from the wood of dangerous trees that once grew in the depths of the Forbidden Forest. Of course, the tables were coated in carvings from decades, if not centuries, worth of students, and the couches were held together with more Reparos than Albus could count. The room may have looked like something worthy of Salazar Slytherin and his brigade of purebloods, but really it was exactly what the other common rooms were - a place shaped by its students, for its students. 

“I missed this place,” Albus commented to Scorpius as they came into the Dungeon after the welcome feast. 

The sixth year Prefects led the first years to their respective dorms, and Albus watched them walk by. His first thought was of Craig, one of the sixth year Prefects last year. Delphi murdered him. Albus pushed the memory to the back of his mind. He still wasn’t quite ready to deal with that reality.

Albus’d thought that Scorpius would make Prefect, but Albus supposed that after the stunt they pulled the year before, it shouldn’t be a surprise. He felt responsible for why Scorpius hadn’t gotten the honor, and that was quite a bad feeling. 

Albus must’ve made a face because Scorpius asked, “What’s wrong, Albus?”

“If we hadn’t… done what we did last year, you’d be a Prefect,” Albus said quietly, so that only Scorpius could hear him. 

Scorpius patted him on the shoulder, which only made Albus feel worse. The comforting should’ve been going the other way, dammit. “Eh, I didn’t really want to be a Prefect.”

“You didn’t?”

“No way. I can count on one hand the number of people that like me, Albus. If I was given any authority, it’d just be another thing for people to make fun of me for. Besides, you know I don’t like confrontation. So don’t worry about it. Ralph is definitely the better choice.” Ralph Abbott was a bulky and broad student in their year. He, besides being Prefect,was one of Albus and Scorpius’ three roommates. He was kind enough to them, but Albus didn’t consider him anything more than an acquaintance.

Their other two roommates were Damien Rugle and Sam Davis. Rugle was an absolute dick, not to mention lazy and disrespectful. He often participated in taunting and teasing Albus and Scorpius, and he was hell to live with. Luckily, the one person Rugle did respect was Sam Davis, their other roommate and Slytherin’s Seeker, and Sam didn’t appreciate fighting in the dorms. He got onto Rugle whenever things escalated, and Albus was rather grateful for that. If Sam never got involved, Albus was sure he and Rugle would’ve come to blows. As much as Albus wanted to punch Rugle in the face, he knew that scenario wouldn’t end well. 

“Yeah, I suppose so.”

Scorpius smiled. “Let’s go to our room. It’s too crowded out here,” he said. 

Albus mirrored his smile, and the two of them headed for the Boys’ Dormitories. All of their luggage was already there, including little Avocado. His cage was sitting on Albus’ bed, and Scorpius went straight over to him and let him out. Avocado chirped happily and crawled up his arm, and Scorpius scratched him on the head. 

“Did we come in here just so you could play with my pet?”

Scorpius shrugged. “That may have had something to do with my decision to leave the common room. I didn’t get the opportunity to say hi to him on the train.” Scorpius held Avocado up, and Avocado nuzzled his cheek. It was adorable. 

“His fur is the same color as your hair,” Albus commented. 

“We’re brothers,” said Scorpius seriously. 

“I can see the resemblance,” Albus said, just as seriously. He thought back to the story about Draco Malfoy and bit his lip to keep from laughing. 

The dorm door slammed open quite suddenly, startling Avocado to the point where nearly jump from Scorpius’ hands. “What’re you two gits doing in here?” interrupted Rugle’s abrasive voice. 

“You scared Avocado,” Scorpius murmured. 

Rugle’s face twisted into a sneer. “That stupid rat’s still alive?”

“He’s a ferret.”

“I know what it is, you twat,” Rugle snapped. 

“Shut up, Rugle,” Albus growled warningly. 

“You two already fighting?” asked Sam from the doorway. He was looking between Albus and Damien. Another great thing about Sam was that he recognized the Scorpius was rarely responsible for any conflicts. Albus suspected that he was one of the few who realized how truly unfairly Scorpius was treated.

“Rugle started it,” Albus said, and yes, he was aware of how immature that sounded. He also didn’t care.

Good thing Rugle was around to one up him on everything. “Rugle started it,” he mimicked childishly. 

“Get it out of your system before Ralph gets in here,” Sam ordered. “We’re not going to lose House points all year.” Last year, Ralph had attempted to keep Albus and Rugle in line by taking House points. Obviously, it hadn’t worked very well, as it hadn’t solved anything and only served to annoy Sam. He liked to win, Sam Davis. That part of him wasn’t limited to Quidditch. 

“Whatever,” Rugle muttered, but he went over to his bed without further comment. 

“Hey Avocado,” Sam said, giving the ferret a gentle pat as he walked by. Scorpius beamed at him. Albus rolled his eyes. His ferret was more popular than him. Typical. 

“Sam, are there any openings on the Quidditch team this year?” Scorpius asked. So he was serious when he said he was practicing with the goal of eventually joining the team. Albus wondered how much time he’d spent practicing over the summer holiday. 

“Sure. We need a new Keeper and a couple new Chasers. You going to try out?”

“Yeah! I mean, I was thinking about it.”

“With your build, you’d probably be a better Chaser,” Sam said. “Lisa Nott will probably post the tryout dates on the noticeboard soon, so keep an eye out.” With that, he continued over to his bed.

“You think you’ll try out for Chaser?” Albus asked. 

“Yes,” said Scorpius. “I’m not exactly big enough to make a good Keeper.” That was true enough, but Albus was really asking because Quidditch practice would take up a lot of Scorpius’ free time if he made it onto the team, and Albus wasn’t sure what he’d do with himself without his best friend about. 

“Right… but Rose is a Chaser. You'd have to play directly against her.” Not that Albus had a problem with that.

“I'm sure she can handle some friendly competition.”

Albus snorted. “There is nothing friendly about Rose when she gets competitive.”

That got a laugh out of Scorpius. “I think the Keeper position is the one directly challenges the Chasers, but regardless, I don't think Rose will have much of a problem with it. It'll give us something to talk about, at least.”

“If you're sure…” Albus said, out of arguments. 

“I am,” said Scorpius. “Although, if you could come to tryouts with me, that'd be great because I'm pretty nervous about it.”

“Yeah, I'll come.” He'd miss spending time with Scorpius, but Albus was unwilling to hold him back.


	5. Slander Sells

Breakfast in the Great Hall was a rambunctious affair, and Albus, not being much of a morning person, hadn't missed that aspect of being at school. Scorpius told him often that he was a bear in the mornings, and Albus usually growled in response.

Albus and Scorpius normally sat toward the end of the table, isolated from nearly everyone, although a few nervous-looking first years strayed down toward them at the beginning of every year. As they made friends, they disappeared, but for the first couple of weeks, they talked to Scorpius amiably enough. Providing they didn’t have any family members with prejudices against Malfoys. 

Albus barely talked to Scorpius in the morning, let alone random children. 

“Excuse me,” said a first year girl, her tie a bit crooked. “Can you tell me where the Transfiguration classroom is?” 

Albus tuned out Scorpius and the girl as he began to describe where various classrooms were. He did notice that she pulled out a piece of parchment and was taking notes on what Scorpius was saying. Definitely a nerd. Too early for nerds. Albus took a big gulp of juice. 

“Are you a Potter?” one of the other first years ask, a sandy haired boy. Too early for that shit, too. 

Albus didn’t respond, so Scorpius paused in his conversation with the girl and said, “He doesn’t really, um, do mornings.”

“Oh. Well. I thought he might want to see this morning’s Prophet. If he is a Potter. Because Potters are Weasleys, too, yeah? And um, there’s a Weasley on the front page. I guess she’s a Lupin. But it says Weasley. Anyway. Sorry to bother you.” The boy went back to eating breakfast. 

“Give me the damn newspaper,” Albus said after a second’s hesitation. 

The boy handed him a copy of The Daily Prophet with the title “Wayward Weasley?: Did a Young Bride Run Out on Her Husband?” Of course the Prophet would spin it that way. Victoire had been dating Teddy since she was fifteen. She wasn’t gone because of commitment issues - she’d been committed to him for a good seven years already. 

The picture was of Teddy and Victoire on their wedding night. They were laughing about something, Teddy’s hair was lavender colored (as lavender was Victoire’s favorite color), and Albus could just see Dominique in the background throwing up a rock-on sign in a very effective photobomb. 

Victoire Lupin, age 22, and the niece of the most famous wizard of our age, Harry Potter, Albus stopped reading to roll his eyes. Even when things weren’t about Dad, there was someone out there that would make it about him anyway. Everything newsworthy Albus ever did - and would ever do - was doomed to be related back to his father, but he’d thought that maybe someone else in his family wouldn’t have to deal with that. Evidently, he was wrong. 

-was reported missing by her husband, the half-werewolf Edward “Teddy” Lupin, on Friday morning. Aurors have been investigating the disappearance, although there has been no official statement that Dark magic was involved. There is, therefore, some speculation that Auror involvement is only due to the couple’s connection to the Head of the Auror Office, Harry Potter himself. Two mentions of his father in one paragraph. Albus wanted to rip up the damn paper, but something compelled him to keep reading. 

The Ministry has yet to make a statement about this high profile case, and none of Mrs. Lupin’s family - immediate or extended - could be reached for comment. A close family friend, however, says they are “not surprise Victoire wised up and left [Lupin],” suggesting that the couple may have been having some problems. It seems very possible that Mrs. Lupin decided that she was better off without her new husband… 

That was all Albus could get through. “Rubbish,” he muttered under his breath. Sometimes he wondered how his mother could associate herself with this trashy paper, even if she only wrote for the sports section.

“What is it?” Scorpius asked. Apparently he was done talking to the first year girl. 

“It’s about Victoire… sort of,” he mumbled. “They seem to think she left Ted.”

“Could she have?” 

Albus shook his head. “They’ve been in love for years. Besides, Lily said-” he broke off, realizing that the first years were all listening to him intensely. They didn’t need to know about Victoire. It was none of their damn business. He nodded for Scorpius to follow him, and Scorpius shoved a couple pastries into the pockets of his robes before following Albus out of the Great Hall. 

“What did Lily say?” asked Scorpius when no one was around to eavesdrop. 

“She heard Teddy tell Gram that Victoire’s wand was left behind. That it was broken. If Victoire was leaving Teddy, why the hell would she break her wand?”

“To make it more convincing?” suggested Scorpius. 

“What?”

“If I were going to leave someone that people expected me to be with since I was fifteen, not to mention someone that my family considered part of the family before we got together, I would make it look like a kidnapping,” Scorpius said, like that was the kind of stuff he took time to think about. 

“Scorpius, seriously?”

“I’m not saying that’s what happened,” he defended. “I’m just saying that disappearing forever might be easier than owning up to the marriage failing.”

“So is that what you plan on doing to… Rose?” Albus said carefully.

“Of course not. I’m not planning on doing that to anyone. And… I don’t think your cousin did that, either. I saw the picture of her in the paper. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone that happy.”

“Then why would you say-?”

“To tell you what the Prophet is going to say when they get more details. They’re going to twist everything so that it sounds like nothing Dark could possibly be involved, just like they did with our story. No one likes the idea that there could be a new Dark witch or wizard around.”

“It doesn’t matter if people like it!” Albus said, exasperated. 

“It does to the Prophet,” Scorpius countered quietly.

“If everyone thinks that Victoire left Teddy and that the Ministry is only investigating because of Dad, the public could convince the Ministry to stop looking for her. Although, maybe Aunt Hermione could hold them off…”

“Ah, the old “her aunt is the Minister of Magic” trick. The Prophet will have a field day with that, too.”

“I got it.”

“I’m sorry, Albus.”

“Yeah,” Albus sighed, “me too.”

Scorpius looked genuinely upset, even though he’d only seen Victoire in passing during their first year. Part of Albus wished that he’d taken Lily up on her suggestion that they go after Victoire themselves, although he knew logically that they’d probably mess everything up in such an attempt. But… looking at Scorpius, kind, smart, sympathetic Scorpius… Albus thought that maybe he could figure out what had happened. Where Victoire was. Why she was gone. 

“Scorpius… I have an idea, and you aren’t going to like it,” Albus began heavily.

“Uh-oh,” Scorpius said, though from the look on his face, Albus could tell he knew exactly where this conversation was going. “Tell me what you need me to do, Albus.”


	6. Professor Redfeather

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what even is a schedule? i'm sorry this is late!

Albus liked the new Potions professor. The previous one, Maeve Macklematch, supposedly ran off to Transylvania with her very-pale-but-certainly-not-a-vampire lesbian lover in a rather epic romance that came off like an excuse for why the Defense Against the Dark Arts position was open again, except it was an excuse for Potions instead. Albus didn’t quite believe that rumor, but it hardly mattered where Professor Macklematch was now. She had been replaced by Professor Genevieve Redfeather, a young and talented (and attractive) young witch with a stern demeanor and a penchant for taking House points. 

All that said about Professor Redfeather, she did know when to her students needed a kinder attitude, and she was willing to help the kids who were weaker in Potions rather than leave them behind. That was what Albus liked about her - she didn’t have a problem sitting down and explaining different concepts to him one-on-one while the rest of the class was working. 

Scorpius thought that Albus had a thing for her because he always asked her for help, but Albus had understood nothing about Potions before she arrived, and now, at least he could say he understood some of what was going on. He liked feeling like he knew things, finally, after three and a half years of cluelessness. Scorpius tried to explain things before, but it was difficult because academics came so naturally to Scorpius. He didn’t understand how Albus couldn’t understand because everything made perfect sense to him. 

Professor Redfeather began the year’s first lesson by discussing her expectations as they were preparing for the O.W.L.s, and then she jumped right into a lecture on the key components of the Draught of Peace. As the class - which consisted of Slytherins and Gryffindors - began to work, Albus raised his hand to ask Professor Redfeather about the importance of moonstone and its connection to the potion as a whole. He noticed that Rose and Annie Zabini, who were sitting a few rows in front of him, shot him a look.

“Yes, Albus?” Professor Redfeather asked, and he explained his query, and she explained everything quite simply that even a troll could probably understand when moonstone could and should be used. And then she went on to help other students with questions.

“Rose and Annie gave me a look,” Albus whispered to Scorpius, who was staring at his potion like it was a particularly complex crossword puzzle. His tongue poked out the side of his mouth and everything. 

“About?” Scorpius asked absently. He added the syrup of hellebore, and his potion turned from pink to turquoise. 

“I don’t know, but it was one of those weird, simultaneous looks that girls gives like they and their besties can all see your soul, you know?”

“I’m familiar with that type of look. My cousins give it to me all the time.” Scorpius had two cousins, twin girls who were two years younger than him, Astra and Daxia Roiser. Apparently, they spent most family gatherings whispering to each other and giving Scorpius odd stares from across the table. “Although I think that’s because they think one of them is going to have to marry me.”

“Still?”

“Dad is reluctant to talk about anything but the weather with Aunt Daphne and Uncle Callistar. Mum’s last wish was that we all get along, and we’re trying our best. If the price of all of us getting along is stares and awkward family expectations, I’m okay with that.”

“Ah, so you’ll marry one of them to keep the peace,” Albus joked. 

Scorpius smiled. “I don’t think Mum would want me to do something that drastic.”

“Back to Rose and Annie, though, because I don’t think either of them expect to marry me. Do you… think that they know about our plan?” Albus asked, dropping his voice even lower for the second half of his sentence. The plan wasn't exactly a plan plan yet - more of a series of ideas. Albus supposed they needed more information before they could formulate a solid plan.

“How could they possibly know about that?” Scorpius asked rhetorically, shaking a jar full of powdered porcupine quills. He was at least halfway done with his potion, and Albus had barely started on his own. “I think they gave you a look because you’re always asking Professor Redfeather for help, and they have the same suspicion I do.”

Albus groaned. “For the last time, I do not fancy her. She just… makes learning easier… and kind of fun.”

Scorpius actually paused in his potion-making to raise an eyebrow in Albus’ direction. What a sod. “Whatever you say,” he said with a stupid little grin. 

“You're a prick,” Albus mumbled.

Scorpius hummed in agreement. “Have you thought about talking to your brother yet?” he asked instead of pursuing the point. Albus was grateful for that.

“Yeah, I'll tell him I need to talk to him at dinner.”

“What are you going to tell him?” Scorpius asked. He was staring intently at his potion again. 

“Er… haven't gotten that far.” The first step of their plan-not-plan was figuring out a way out of Hogwarts so that they could investigate Victoire’s disappearance with all the facts at hand. Which mean they'd probably have to find records of the crime. Which were at the Ministry. But hey, it wasn't like they hadn't broken in before… 

Albus was also hoping they'd find an opportunity it to talk to Teddy - although he and Scorpius hadn't thought of a way to manage that without alerting their families that they were meddling. Teddy was a good guy - he'd think it was the right thing to do, telling Albus’ mum and dad what he was up to.

But regardless, they did have to get out of Hogwarts first. And James had something that would help them do just that - the Marauder’s Map. All Albus had to do was convince his brother to let him borrow it, which was easier said than done. 

“So you haven't thought much about it, huh?” Scorpius teased. His potion was done. He ladled it into a little jar. Meanwhile, Albus’ a burnt orange color. It wasn't meant to be that color at any point. Damn. 

“Well, I have some ideas,” Albus lied.

“You'll think of something,” assured Scorpius. He leaned over and threw a handful of porcupine quills into Albus’ cauldron. It turned a pastel pink.   
“Thanks.”

“No problem,” Scorpius replied easily. Albus was lucky to have him, he knew.


End file.
